Paper-feeding device.



S. A.. NEIDIGH.

PAPER FEEDING DEVICE.

APPLICATION. EILEI) JULY 21, 1909.

l 1 ZQJZQQQ Patented Dec. 29, 1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l,

WITNE$SES= ENVENTOR:

St A. NEIDIGH.

PAPER FEEDING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 21, 190-3) Patented Dec. 29, 191% 3 SHEETSSHEET Z.

S. A. NEIDIGH.

PAPER FEEDING DEVICE. APPLICATION'FILED JULY 21, 1909.

Patented Dec. 29 1914 TSSHEET 3.

@MW MUN UNITED PATENT QFFICE.

SAMUELA. NEIDICH, OF BURLINGTON, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERICAN MULTIGRAPH COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CQRPORATION OF OHIO.

PAPER-F EEDING DEVICE.

Application filed July 21. 1909.

To QZ'Z whom it may 607L667"?! Be it known that I, SAMUEL A. Nnioion, of Burlington, in the State of New Jersey, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Paper- Feeding Devices, whereof the following is a speciiicatiomreference being had to the accompanying drawings. I

My invention may be advantageously employed to feed cut.sheets of paper or other flexible fabric to a printing machine, and particularly to what is known as a duplieating machine wherein the sheets are received in a substantially horizontal plane.

My invention is arranged to successively feed sheets singly from the bottom of a stack. of sheets by first pushing bacl; the forward edge of the bottom sheet so as to disengage it from its normal support and then directing said edge between rollers adapted to withdraw the sheet from the stack by their rotation.

In the form of my invention hereinafter described a series of frictional feed rollers is arranged for continuous rotation and a series of projecting fingers is arranged to be intermittently rotated beneath the stack of sheets supported in such a manner as to be normally upheld free from said rollers, but arranged to be engaged at predetermined intervals by said fingers; such engagement effecting the backward movement of the forward end of the bottom sheet to disen a e it from the stack su-mortin H h l means and permit it to be gripped and progressedbetween said friction feed rollers and another subjacent series of feed rollers, coiiperating therewith. As hereinafter described, the means for intermittently shifting said fingers includes a crank arm rigidly secured to the shaft carrying said fingers, arranged to be engaged and posi tively shifted when said fingers contact with said bottom sheet, by a pin on an independently driven gear loosely mounted on said shaft. Said fingers are shifted out of engagement with said sheet after drawing back the forward edge of said sheet, by the friction of the upper feed rollers which are rotated at an accelerated rate of speed on said shaft, by engagement with said subjacent feed rollers.

My invention includes the various novel features of construction and arrangement,

hereinafter more definitely specified.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patehthd Dec. 29, 191 11.

Serial No. 508,733.

in the drawings, Figure I is a plan View of a paper feeding device conveniently cmbodying my invention. Fig. ll is a side elevation of said device. Fig. III is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of said device taken on the line 1H, Ill, in Fig. I. Fig. IV is a fragmentary elevation of the outer end crossbar of the frame of said device indicated at the left hand side of the other figures. i

In said figures, the frame comprises the side plates 1, and 2, which are rigidly connected by the outer end cross bar 3, by the intermediate bolt rods 4, by the inner end holder plate 5, and the chute including the horizontal plate 6, and the inclined upper plate 7; said chute serving to direct the sheets 9. in their successive discharge from the stack 11 to the printing machine. Sziid frame may be attached to the printing machine or to any suitable support by'screws fitted in the sockets 112 in said side plates as indicated in Figs. II and III. As indicated in Figs. 1 and ill said stack 11 is supported by the parallel idle rollers 13 extending betweenv said frame plates 1 and. 2, being journalcd upon the center screws it. and 15, which are respectively fitted in the frames 1, and 2, and have the reduced inner ends extending into the soclreted ends of said rollers. as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. I. Said stack 11 is held on said rollers against the stationary holder plate and maintained in alinement by the lateral holder plates 16,, and end holder plate 17. Said plates 16 are respectively supported in connection with said frame plates 2 by the rods 19, which are coupled at their outer ends by the yokes 20, and held in adiusted position by the set screws 21. Said holder plate 17 is supported in connection with said crossbar 3 by the rods 93 connected by the yoke 24-, and held in adjusted position by the set screws The bearings for the rods 23 extend in the cross bar 3 and said'rods are maintained therein by the removable blocks 26 which as shown in Fig. III are bolted beneath said cross bar 3. This construction also provides bearings 27 in registry with the screw threaded openings 28, to which said set screws 25 may be removed to engage another end holder plate similar to the plate 17 but of greater width and having supporting rods similar to the rods 23, but in such spaced relation as to fit the bearings 27. As'shown in Fig. III, the outer ends of the sheets 9 in the stack ll are upheld by the'horizontal fiange 29 on said holder plate 17, the inner ends of said sheets 9 being upheld by the horizontal flange plate 30, adjustably secured by the screws 31 to the flange 32, on the stationary holder plate 5. As indicated in Fig. I said plate 30 is so shaped as to provide supporting ledges 33 which respectively overhang the feed roller sections 3f, which are loosely mounted for rotation, in spaced relation on the shaft and have smooth resilient rubber faces.

As shown in Fig. 111, the feed roller including sections 36, having corrugated resilient faces, rigidly mounted in spaced relation on the shaft 37', subjacent to the roller including the sections 3-l, and arranged to cooperate with and rotate the latter to feed the sheets 9 when engaged between them. It should be noted that, immediately after the wiping fingers have dislodged the forward portion of the end sheet and carried it -downward into the bight of the feed rollers 36 and counter pressure rollers 3%, the fingers return to engage the next to the bottom sheet while the major portion of the bottom sheet s still. on the 'pile, being held above several of the rollers 13 under the pile of sheets. While this dislod ed sheet is being fed by the. rollers 56 an 3f, the wipers are slowly acting on the next sheet. This simultaneous action onables great rapidity of delivery, while allowing a comparatively slow action of the wiping fingers.

The operation above described is effected by a train of gearing of which the initial member is the gear 40, which may be con- 'veniently rotated in the direction of the arrow indicated thereon, by engagement with the gear of the printing machine with which the paper feeding device aforesaid is associated. Said gear 40 is rigidly connected with the driving shaft 4]., which has a similar rigidly mounted gear L9, connected through the idler 43, with the gear 4% on the shaft 37, carrying the rigidly mounted feed roller sections 36, which, by their frictional peripheralcontact rotate the feed roller sections 34, which are loosely mounted for independent rotation on the shaft The driving shaft 41 is also provided with a gear 215 in mesh with the gear 46, which is loosely journaled on the shaft 35, but-arranged to be intermittently connected to 1'0- tate said shaft by the pin, 49 projecting from the gear 46, arranged to engage the arm 50, rigidly carried by said shaft Said shaft 35 carries the fingers 51, which are formed of resilient rubber blocks, hav ing notched or grooved faces secured in suitable slots in the hubs 52 rigidly secured to said shaft 35 by the set screws 53, and which are positively shifted in wiping contact with the bottom sheet 9 of the stack-11 to draw back its forward edge from the supporting ledges 33. Said shaft 35 being further progressed at an accelerated speed independent of said gear 46, by the friction of the rollers 3l rotating thereon,3

tending from the latter, as bestsbown in Fig. 111.

1 do not desire to limit myself to the preoise details of construction and arrangement above described, as it is obvious that various modifications may be made therein without departing from the essential fea-.

tnrcs of my invention, as defined in the appended claims. lt should be noted, however, that this patent is subordinate to and dominated by my copending application No. 720,100, filed September l l-th, 1912, which contains broad claims reading alike on the structure there shown and on the structure shown in the drawings of this patent. This patent is confined to mechanism not shown in said dominating application.

1. In a paper feeding device, the combination with a holder for a stack of sheets; of an intermittently rotatable shaft mounted transversely beneath the forward end of said stack; an arm on saidshaft; a series of feed roller sections loosely mounted on said shaft, and arranged for continuous rotation independently thereof; a continuously rotatable shaft carrying a roller arranged forpcripheral contact with said loosely mounte'd rollers. to continuously rotate the latter; a series of fingers rigidly mounted on said intermittently rotatable shaft, arranged to -engage the bottom sheet of said stack;

whereby the forward edge of said bottom sheet is drawn back and'snapped between said feed rollers and discharged from beneath said stack; a continuously rotatable gear loosely mounted on said intermittently rotatable shaft, having means arranged to intermittently engage said arm and thereby turn. said intermittently rotatable shaft.

.2. In a paper feeding device, the combina tion with a holder for a stack of sheets: of an intermittently rotated shaft extending transversely beneath the forward end of said stack; feed roller sections loosely mounted for independent rotation upon said haft; a continuously rotated shaft, carry mg a roller rigidly secured thereto, and "arranged for peripheral engagement with said loosely lingers, whereby the forward edge of the bottom sheet of said stack is drawn back and snapped down between said feed rollers, and said sheet discharged thereby; a gear loosely mounted on said intermittently rotated shaft and provided with a projection,

an arm on said shaft arranged to be positively engaged by said projection when said fingers are in contact with said bottom sheet; said intern'iittently rotated shaft being rotated at an accelerated rate of speed to disengage said arm from said projection, and shift said fingers out of contact with said sheet by the frictional engagement of said rollers on said shaft.

3. In a paper feeding device, the combina tion with a holder for a stack of sheets; of an intermittently rotated shaft extending transversely beneatn the rorward end of said stack; a series of feed roller sections loosely mounted on said shaft and arranged to rotate independently thereof; a continuously ro-' tently rotated shaft having resilient faces arranged to engage the bottom sheet of said stack which extends in tangential relation to the path of said fingers, and is shifted thereby to draw back i s forward edge between said feed rollers, which engage said sheet and dischar e it from beneath said stack; a gear loosely mounted on said intermittently rotated shaft and provided with a proicction; an arm carried by said shaft extending into the path of said proicction and arranged to be intermittently rotated thereby when said fingers are in contact with said bottom sheet. and rotated therefrom by the fri tional engagement of the continuorsl v ro \tcd rollers mounted thereon which shift said fingers at accelerated rate of speed out of the path of said sheet after they have i'lrawn back the edge of said sheet; a gcarii connection arranged to continuously rotate the feed roller shaft, and the gear on said intermittently rotated shaft.

7' i. in a paper feeding device, the combination with a holder for a stack of sheets; of an intermittently rotated shaft extending transversely beneath the forward end of said stack; a series of roller sections loosely mounted on said shaft and provided with smooth resilient rubber facings; a continuously" rotated shaft extending parallel with said ii'itermittently rotated shaft and provided with a rigidly mounted roller having corrugated resilient rubber facings arranged to peripherally engage said loosely mounted rollers, to rotate the latter continuously; a series of fingers carried by said intermittently rotated shaft, having notched resilient rubber facings arranged to engage the bottom sheet of said stack with a wiping contact. to draw back the forward end of said sheet and snap said edge down between said feed rollers which discharge said sheet .from beneath said stack, said fingers being shifted out of the path of said sheet by the frictional contact of said rollers. which rotate at an accelerated rate of speed on said shaft: a gear loosely mounted on said intermittently rotated shaft and provided with a projection; an arm on said shaft, extending in the path of said projection, and arranged to be engaged thereby to positively rotate said shaft while said fingers engage said bottom sheet; and gearing connection arranged to continuously rotate said feed rollers and said gear.

In a paper feeding device, the combination with a holder for a stack of sheets; of a shaft extending beneath the forward end of said stack; a roller loosely mounted on said shaft; a finger carried by said shaft arranged to engage the bottom sheet of said stack and draw back the forward end of said sheet in a direction opposite to that in which it is desired to feed said sheet; another shaft extending parallel with said first named shaft and carrying a roller arranged to peripherally engage said loosely mounted roller; and means arranged to continuousy rotate the last named shaft and intermittently rotate the first named shaft.

6. The combination of a shaft, :1 series of wiping fingers rigid thereon. aseries of loose rollers between the fingers, a parallel shaft, a series of feed wheels rigid thereon coacting with the loose rollers, mechanism for giving said shafts continuous rotation in opposite directions, and means for supporting a block of paper in position to be acted on by the wiping fingers. whereby a sheet may be dislodged and thereby pass into the grasp of the feed rollers and their cooperating rollers.

7. The combination. with a series of rowiping finger adapted to engage the sheets of said pile as the shaft is rotated, a feed roller, roller sections on the Wiper shaftfrietionally engaging the feed roller, driving means positively rotating the feed roller at a comparatively high speed, driving means adapted to shove the wipers around their axis at a comparatively slow speed, the conneetion between the last mentioned driving means and the w er allowing independent movement of the latter, whereby, when the Wiper clears the paper the friction with the interspersed rollers may turn. the Wiper at a comparatively rapid speed.

9. The comhinationof means for supporting a pile of paper, a series of rotary wiping fingers, means for giving them a slow In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name at Burlington, N. J., this 30th day of June 1909.

' SAMUEL A. NEIDICH, Witnesses:

REBEKAH Ni-JID'ICH, CHAS. P. SMITH. 

